The gains came as U.S. stock market volatility in late March hovered around its lowest level since August 2015 and was well below its long-term average, according to investment manager BlackRock.

The "eerily quiet" markets followed stabilizing oil prices, as well as a less negative outlook for China’s economy and European banks, Richard Turnill, BlackRock’s global chief investment strategist, wrote recently.

As we see the U.S. economy continuing to grow over the long term, we see value in large ETFs that seek to provide returns that correspond to certain key areas.

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) aims to replicate the yield and price of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We favor DIA because a flight to the so-called "safety stocks" tends to include many of the top 50 names in the S&P that are also found in the Dow Jones. Admitting that it's hard to beat the market is simply realism.

PowerShares QQQ (QQQ) represents the Nasdaq, with an emphasis on fast-growth industries. This ETF offers a way for investors to gain exposure to nonfinancial domestic and international companies.

SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) also fits in with our philosophy. We believe that the long-term prospects in the U.S. are strong, and utilizing exchange traded funds to emulate those prospects is a great way for investors to look at Q2 and beyond.

We now weight a third to each in our client portfolios, aiming to cover a major share of U.S. traded companies with significant diversification and sector exposure. In short, bet on the United States.

Our expectation is that the U.S. will continue to experience a low-growth environment with above-average market volatility. To counter this, we expect high dividend yielding ETFs -- which tend to own more stable, high cash-flowing companies -- to outperform.

The following are not recommendations, but are ETFs that we believe will do well in the market conditions indicated.

IShares Core High Dividend (HDV) brings exposure to 75 established, high-quality U.S. companies that have been screened for financial health. Its indicated yield is 3.44%, it has a beta to the S&P 500 index of 0.849, and its largest industry component is oil and gas.

IShares Select Dividend (DVY) has exposure to 100 broad-cap U.S. companies with a consistent history of dividends. Its indicated yield is 3.09%, it has a beta of 0.833 and its largest industry exposure is electric utilities.

O’Shares FTSE U.S. Quality Dividend (OUSA) employs a “rules-based” investment approach. OUSA owns U.S. large-cap and midcap dividend-paying issuers that meet certain requirements for liquidity, high quality, low volatility and dividend yield. The requirements are designed to reduce exposure to high dividend equities that have experienced large price declines, as may occur with some dividend investing strategies. Its indicated yield is 3.29%, it has a beta of 0.845, and its largest industry component is pharmaceuticals.

Notice: Information contained herein is not and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell securities. The information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable; however no guarantee is made or implied with respect to its accuracy, timeliness, or completeness. Authors may own the stocks they discuss. The information and content are subject to change without notice.